Kyoto Colors - Gardens & Temples

Tofukuji Temple

A Zen temple located in the hills of south-eastern Higashiyama, Tofukuji was established in 1236 by order of Kujo Michiie, who was the imperial chancellor of the time, and the temple is one of Kyoto’s Gozan (Five Mountain System) or "five highly ranked Zen temples of Kyoto."

In the large temple complex, there are a number of impressive wooden buildings including the Sanmon main gate, the oldest of its kind in Japan and a registered National Treasure. Also, quite impressive are the various Zen gardens found within the precincts, including the moss garden designed by Mirei Shigemori, an eminent modern Japanese landscape architect.